Latest news with #Joleen
New Straits Times
21-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Indonesia outplay Malaysia for Billie Jean King Cup promotion
KUALA LUMPUR: Promotion once again eluded Malaysia but the national women's tennis squad can still be proud to replicate their top-four finish from last season in the Billie Jean King Cup (BJKC) Asia-Oceania Group II competition this year. Malaysia lost 2-0 in their promotional playoff against Indonesia at the National Tennis centre here today (June 21). Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman succumbed to a 6-2, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Anjali Kirana Junarto in the opening singles. Joleen Saw had Malaysian fans on the edge of their seats as she pushed Mishka Sinclaire Goenardi hard before going down 6-7 (8), 6-1, 6-4. Mongolia will join Indonesia in the Group I competition next year as they defeated Philippines 2-0 in the other promotional playoff. Malaysia had finished second behind Mongolia in group A earlier this week to qualify for the promotional playoff, which was essentially the semi-finals. A total of 10 teams competed in Group II this season. Joleen, who was reduced to tears after losing her match against Indonesia, was nevertheless proud of the team's efforts this year. "I tried my best but at the end of the day she (Mishka) made the better shots and played really well," said a visibly dejected Joleen. "The atmosphere was incredible today and I really appreciate the support we got from our home crowd. "Unfortunately we could not get the result we wanted. It is a bit disappointing, there was not much I could do. "Overall, I think we had a better chance (at promotion) than last year and our performances were quite okay. "I will continue to keep working hard to improve my game - especially my serve and footwork - and hopefully I can play again next year if I am on semester break." Joleen, 18, is set to join the University of Pennsylvania later this year where she will both study and play collegiate tennis. The national squad finished third in the Group II competition last year - Malaysia's best-ever performance in the history of the competition - when it featured a different two-phase, round robin format. There was no playoff for third place this season.
New Straits Times
10-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Billie Jean King Cup assignment awaits Joleen before joining Ivy League school
KUALA LUMPUR: National tennis player Joleen Saw is hoping to help Malaysia improve on its top-three finish in the Billie Jean King Cup Asia-Oceania Group II competition from last year. The competition will again be held in Kuala Lumpur this year at the National Tennis Centre on June 16-21. Joleen said she expects the competition to be tough with teams such as Indonesia, Pacific Oceania and the Philippines in the mix. The other countries competing in Group II are Singapore, Uzbekistan, Northern Mariana Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Iran and Mongolia. "I usually don't want to set expectations that are too high as I just want to try and focus on the process," said Joleen recently. "But of course the goal is to try and get into the top-two and be promoted. Hopefully we can do better than last year. "It will be quite a challenge as there are a number of strong teams. Besides Indonesia and the Philippines, Uzbekistan and Iran are not bad while Singapore also has quite a few good players." Hannah Yip, Soo Hui Yii, Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman, Iman Syuhada Abdullah and Joleen powered Malaysia to a best-ever third place finish in the Group II competition last year. Joleen, 18, will later be heading to the United States in August as she has been accepted into the University of Pennsylvania where she will read economics while playing collegiate tennis. "It is a really good Ivy League school and they are also in Division One (NCAA D1)," said Joleen. "I believe going there will benefit both my tennis and my education." Joleen added that she is looking to play in a number of ITF futures events before leaving for the US to earn herself a WTA ranking.
